Godzilla (#594)

$25.99
Type: New Blu-Ray

Godzilla (a.k.a. Gojira) is the roaring granddaddy of all monster movies. It’s also a remarkably humane and melancholy drama, made in Japan at a time when the country was reeling from nuclear attack and H-bomb testing in the Pacific. Its rampaging radioactive beast, the poignant embodiment of an entire population’s fears, became a beloved international icon of destruction, spawning almost thirty sequels. A thrilling, tactile spectacle that continues to be a cult phenomenon, the original, 1954 Japanese version is presented here, along with Godzilla, King of the Monsters, the 1956 "Americanized" version.

SPECIAL FEATURES

New high-definition digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition

New high-definition digital restoration of Godzilla, King of the Monsters, Terry Morse’s 1956 reworking of the original, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition

Audio commentary for both movies by film historian David Kalat

New interviews with actors Akira Takarada and Haruo Nakajima and special effects technicians Yoshio Irie and Eizo Kaimai

Interview with legendary Godzilla score composer Akira Ifukube

Featurette detailing Godzilla’s photographic effects, introduced by special effects director Koichi Kawakita and special effects photographer Motoyoshi Tomioka

New interview with Japanese-film critic Tadao Sato

The Unluckiest Dragon, an illustrated audio essay featuring historian Greg Pflugfelder describing the tragic fate of the fishing vessel Daigo Fukuryu Maru, a real-life event that inspired Godzilla

Trailers for Godzilla and Godzilla, King of the Monsters

New English subtitle translation

PLUS: A booklet featuring a new essay by critic J. Hoberman

 

"GODZILLA" (a.k.a. "GOJIRA") (c) 1954 Toho Co., Ltd. "GODZILLA, KING OF THE MONSTERS" (c) 1956 Toho Co., Ltd. Godzilla, Gojira, the character designs and King of the Monsters are trademarks of Toho Co., Ltd. All rights reserved.

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